Face vs. Body Skin - question

Hey everyone.

I got a question. I am still trying to acheive my "look". I am really happy with my current full body skin, as it is tanned and oiled and looks great.

But I am not happy with my face at all. Is there a way to get a whole different face and still keep the body skin?

The short answer is no. Skin is your skin all over including your face. Many skin makers offer several different versions of each skin with different make-up for women or different facial hair configurations for men.

You can change the shape of your face by editing appearance and using the slides to for example, change your mouth shape or slant your eyes, etc. It takes practice.

Hope this helps.

I have a notecard that goes into more detail about the differences between skins and shapes. Drop me a note if you want it.

there are two main different parts to your avatar... the shape (imagine a marble statue, plain all over, but shaped in a particular way) and the skin (imagine that marble statue painted to look like skin instead of marble, including make up, freckles, even wrinkles).

The skin tones can completely change the look of the underlying shape.. two skins will make the same shape look very different.

If you are happy with the shape you have, look at and try on demo versions of skins, before you buy a skin.

If you are happy with the skin you have, you can change the shape beneath by going into appearances, by pressing on your avatar, and adjusting the sliders until you are happy with the shape. there are infinite variations of the shape sliders.. so you can get a unique look.

If you are 'almost' happy, remember to save the shape you have.. so you can go back to it if you muck up the changes.

Skins cant usually be modified unless you have a program like photoshop and the skills to use it.

See also threads on skins and shapes in SL (there is a current one running on this forum).

Hope this helps. It took me a long long time to get something i was happy with.. and i am still tweaking

love imogen

Thanks Chellonia, and Imogen...

Yeah, i know how to adjust my features and all. The custom skin I am currently using is non modifyable, so I cannot change my topical facial look. (wish it was a modifyable skin!)

I wonder if I can get someone to custom design a skin for me? I have the face i like on a demo skin, and the real skin i am wearing.

Not sure what it would cost to have a designer do this, but I am willing to look into it...

If you could modify your skin you would be able to use a seperate texture for your face. Skin designers don't want that, they prefer to sell you the same skin over and over again with just a different color of lipstick applied...

The face is the hardest thing to do well. If you can make a new face, you can make an entire new skin for yourself.

Also, if you want to replace just the head texture it will be near-impossible for you to get the seems to match without the skin texture files, and skin designers don't want to be handing those around for good reason.

I don't care to actually obtain the facial or head textures, but, I would be willing to hand over my main custom skin, and the skin demo of the face I like, to a designer. Maybe they could make something up for me and just get the whole custom skin to me.

Unless I spend hours studying how to do the skinning stuff myself - which I don't have time or desire to.

There are certainly skin designers who would do that for you -- check around the forums and also try to find the folks who are designing some of the main retail skin lines. While you're doing that, I'd recommend checking a few more skin places to make sure that you don't find something off the shelf that suits -- there's a mind-boggling number of skins out there.

Talk to the creator of the skin you think is almost perfect .. s/he might have another version you like better, or may be willing to modify the face for you. If that were to work out, you'd get to have a better face without having to lose the body you already know you like.

Would have to see you in the skin and with your shape on.

And have an idea of what you are hoping to improve.

Simple answer-

Is it possible to modify the shape to look nicer in a skin? Yes.


Is it possible to change the shape to look how you want even though you do not like the face textures? No.

Most skins with a nice face have a nice body too. Go to big designers shop and see their skins, mayeb you can find one that is perfect for you, in face and body.

Poppycock. There is currently no way for skin owners to apply overlays or mix and match textures without skin designers having to make their raw textures available. Skin theft is a big enough problem already without doing that. It would be epidemic if we did. I, and many other skin makers, have been begging LL for years to update the way skins work to allow overlays that end users could apply themselves without having to compromise the meager protections we have. Imagine if there were overlay objects the same way there are skin objects now that could be worn in any combination. You could buy a base skin from one person, makeup from another, naughty bits from someone else, tattoos from several different creators, and so on. It would open up secondary markets and interoperability between designers and would be a boon for everyone. The only reason it's not like that now is because those features simply don't exist. Skin designers are NOT the bad guy. We're stuck with the current system just like everyone else.

That's true. (Well, I have other issues with how most high-end skins are made, but that's beside the point here.) The thing is that skin designers end up with lots more competition with the current system than they otherwise would, because people get so frustrated with being unable to actually *do* anything with their skins that they bite the bullet and become self-styled skin designers. And that sucks for everybody, because skins are *really* a pain to work on; those with the patience for it deserve our admiration. (or at least our L$s )

I would never even try to make a skin. I consider myself an amateur when it comes to graphic design, and rather than trying to figure out the ins and outs of "skinning" (ugh, what a horrible word) I am perfectly happy to pay, and pay dearly, for an awesome skin.

Learn to skin first in the sims if you've got access to it. I've learned some tricks and tips while trying my hand at it. Eventually I'll try my hand at it here in SL also.

Thanks Chip. Your reply makes sense. I have gotten into heavy debates with skin designers before, but it looks like you are the first one who can clearly explain the problem to me.

Ok, would Chip be willing to help me out here? hmmm?

It wouldn't be possible for me to do it, Misti. It's something you'll have to request from the person who created your skin. You should try their other skins to see if they have a face you like better, then ask if they're willing to blend it onto the other body for you. Not everyone does custom work though due to the amount of work involved.

ok.. i can find the designer. I will certainly offer pay for doing it, either in lindons or in good ol greenbacks...

Thanks!